Nurturing Growth in Homeschooling: Lessons from South Africa

As winter blankets South Africa in its chilly embrace, Simone Billson, Country Coordinator for Classical Conversations in South Africa, shares her insights on homeschooling and the beauty of individual growth. In this heartwarming blog post, Simone draws parallels between the changing seasons and the unique journeys of homeschooled children.

Harvests in Our Homeschool

There is a street lined with hundreds of trees, which we drive past every week on our way to community. Currently we are in mid-winter and all the trees are bare. My favorite time is when spring arrives and these trees start budding leaves. God so often speaks to my heart in this season, as in this whole street, lined with hundreds of trees, there is no way of telling which one will bud first and which one will be last. Yet, as summer enters in full swing you will never know which one won the “budding race.”

In our homeschool we see the same scenario played out hundreds of times. Except, there is no race; we have the privilege of meeting our children where they are at. My one son only started reading when he was ten. It was so hard for him, as he absolutely loves stories, but he listened to audio books at a speed with which I could hardly keep up. When it came to reading physical books there were many times I had to stop the lessons and go back to playing with the letters and sounds or just sit with him on the couch and read a story. The thing is, I knew it would happen; he was so hungry for it, it was just not his time to bud yet.

He was in his second year of Essentials. Something clicked halfway through the year, and he started reading books like he had been reading for years. When it was time for faces of history, he was able to do it all on his own. He stood in front, reading and talking through his paper and at the end the whole class stood up and clapped. They all witnessed his struggles, and they all saw when it started coming together. And like that lane of trees where all the trees are in full bloom by the middle of summer, our children will all be doing what is needed by the time they finish their schooling.

God asks of us only to be faithful. To stay patient. To celebrate all of it—the small milestones and the big ones. And most of all to trust that He is more concerned about their lives than we could ever be. No one drives past those trees and thinks that the one not covered in leaves is not a tree. Instead, we wait, as the promise is there, and we know the tree will bud in its season.

And it will be beautiful.

A Global Homeschool Perspective

Serving as an international leader offers me the opportunity to visit communities in different countries. And no matter where I go, mothers all have the same struggles, the same fears and the same joys when it comes to their children and homeschool. It is hard on many days; waiting for the blooms and harvests does not come easy. In a world where performance is measured as only the best receiving the accolades, who would not want their child to be the best? To be the first to read, to write the most eloquent essays, to score the highest marks or to achieve the best in tests and exams. Or to achieve the best in sports, or maybe even participate in the most activities. It is all a race, a performance if you will. And so often those results we yearn for do not last. Instead, the hours at home doing the math, reading endless stories, memorizing poems or practicing the essay structure over and over are where the true victory becomes real.

It is in the unseen and unknown spaces of educating and mothering our children, where our hearts are really tested and this is where God shows up in ways we need Him most.

The fact is no matter where you live, what your background is or what you manage to accomplish on your to-do list, your child will, given patience and time, bloom beyond expectation and in their season. It might not be how or when the world expected it, but it will be in His perfect timing. And when it happens the angels rejoice with you, mama. Our real test lies in using the times of waiting to grow. In patience, in kindness, in love. In giving our child the love they need, watering their souls with the words of encouragement which will help them anchor their roots deep in the knowing that they are accepted no matter what.

That is the true test we as mothers face.

And that is where our biggest harvests will come forth.

The Art of Nurturing Late Bloomers

A tree does not think it is less of a tree just because it is not blooming in a certain time frame. Instead, it keeps on turning its branches to the sun. And it keeps growing. It continues to feed from the soil and water and soaks up the sun. And when its time arrives, it blooms in majestic beauty. Leaves come forth in a way that makes everyone who sees it smile. And this is what I see for each mom, who knows that God is faithful. With her roots firmly planted in Him, she waits, she loves, she encourages, and she trusts in perfect timing, as each child is a marvelous gift and allowing them to bloom in their own time will bring forth wonderful fruit in its season.

May your harvests be plenty, and your tree offer shade to many who follow behind you. May you find the fruit in its season to fill each one with the nourishment intended and point us back to the Father who sings over each one of us with joy.